Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The Lost Child

Some people nearby also felt that what Mrs. Liang said was a bit too much.

Qingmei and Captain Gu had just gotten married and were still very much in love. Why did they have to accept a little boy of unknown origin when they didn't even have their own children?

Seeing Qingmei's disgust, Xiaojuan realized something was wrong and said to Mrs. Wu beside her, "Sister-in-law, I'll help you with your work. If you can take care of the child, take care of it first. There will definitely be something later—"

Mrs. Liang grabbed the little boy's hand, glared at Xiaojuan, and said, "Such a good child, and I picked him up. You all are unwilling to help the child, but I am happy to help. If he finds his parents, I will be happy for him. If he can't, I am willing to raise this child."

Qingmei said coldly, "Sister Liang, please don't act on impulse. His parents are probably already searching for him like crazy. If something is lost, you have to find the owner. If a child is lost, you can't just give it to whoever finds it."

No matter what Qingmei said, Mrs. Liang held the little boy's hand tightly.

The boy looked like he had been malnourished for a long time, with tattered clothes and a thin body. If she hadn't been afraid that he had something wrong when she picked him up, she would have opened his mouth and checked his teeth as if she was checking an animal, and she would have found that his teeth were complete.

She said the child was four or five years old, but she actually estimated he was seven or eight, about to finish his teeth. He must have been treated poorly by his family, and his physical development was delayed. If a child like this were lost, his parents would definitely not look for him.

Even if the ages don't match when asked, the boy will still be hers in the end.

Mrs. Liang was thinking a lot, but Qingmei didn't care. She could be kind if she wanted to. Qingmei was not willing to just keep the child with her.

Xiaojuan pushed Qingmei out of the tent. The two of them found a deserted place and hugged firewood. Xiaojuan muttered to Qingmei, "Why don't you pretend? Look, although Sister Liang does this, everyone thinks she has a kind heart."

Qingmei felt uncomfortable when she thought of that boy. She said puzzledly, "I don't know why, but I'm really annoyed."

Xiaojuan smiled and said, "Maybe you're going to be a mother, and the baby in your belly won't like having a brother."

Qingmei said, "If I have children in the future, they won't be stingy. But I only want one."

Xiao Juan was genuinely surprised: "What does Captain Gu mean?"

Qingmei said, "I haven't asked him yet."

Xiaojuan walked a few steps carrying the firewood and said enviously, "You're so good. You can make your own decisions. Like me...my mother-in-law is afraid I'll have children."

This sounded strange. Qingmei wanted to ask more, but Xiaojuan had already walked away quickly.

Qingmei watched her back and thought of the phrase Zhao Wuhe often used: "unspeakable secrets." Never mind. She couldn't force her to ask. She would reveal it naturally when the time was right.

They returned to the kitchen shed, where Mrs. Liang held the boy while they picked vegetables. She also wrapped her scarf around his neck, leaving only his big eyes to look around outside.

Qingmei's appearance made the boy suddenly struggle to get off Mrs. Liang's legs. After being stopped by Mrs. Liang, he sobbed and stretched out his hands to look at Qingmei.

Everyone under the shed saw this, and some even wondered if this boy and Qingmei had a connection. But unfortunately, Comrade Qingmei was determined and didn't want him.

Aunt Wu said to the people around her, "Maybe Comrade Qingmei is too soft-hearted and is afraid of developing feelings. She'll be so heartbroken when his parents come back."

Everyone thought this was true. They had all heard of Comrade Qingmei's glorious deeds and would not be so hard-hearted towards a child.

"I just don't like it, but I can't remember such a plot." Qingmei hid in Gu Qingzhou's tent during her break. He was packing his belongings. After the rescue was over, he was ready to take the soldiers back to the army.

Gu Qingzhou said thoughtfully: "You had such a great time playing with Xiaogang and the other kids at your mother's house. You definitely don't hate children."

Qingmei sat by the stove, holding her face in her hands, and said, "That's right."

Gu Qingzhou said: "If Sister Liang wants to take it back, let her take it. I will go over to take a look when I am done."

Qingmei said, "Okay." She thought for a moment and said, "I'll help you keep an eye on them."

Gu Qingzhou laughed and said, "Thank you for your hard work." Then he rubbed her head and said, "I will reward you."

Qingmei's face fell and she knocked his wolf claws away: "No thanks."

The way back was much easier than the way here.

Qingmei and her sisters-in-law squeezed into the back of the military truck, swaying all the way.

Xiaojuan didn't see Wu Shizhong in the village until she was about to leave. She happily ran over to talk to Wu Shizhong, but Wu Shizhong made an excuse that he had to go to a meeting and turned away.

Xiaojuan stared at his back in a daze, and was called by Qingmei to get in the car.

"There are two other villages that need rescue. We've already arranged for other family members. Let's just go back and focus on resting."

Aunt Wu said to Qingmei and the others, "It's not even the twelfth lunar month yet, and this winter is going to be miserable."

Qingmei said nothing. She glanced at the sky. This was the last two months of 1977. Around this time next year, the entire country would be ushering in a wave of reform and opening up. By then, everyone would be astonished by the rapid development and change. This was the final cold winter.

Qingmei returned to the dormitory and washed up simply when someone knocked on the door.

It was Wang Jiayuan who opened the door. She took Qingmei's hand and said, "President Qin paid for some delicious food out of his own pocket and asked the quartermaster to prepare it for you. I saw a very large fish, at least ten pounds. I think he's going to make a fish stew in an iron pot."

"Really?" Qingmei hadn't eaten fish stewed in an iron pot for a long time. Upon hearing this, she followed Wang Jiayuan out. When they arrived at 303, they knocked on the door.

Xiaojuan came out with slightly red eyes.

Wang Jiayuan saw her and asked, "What's wrong? You're still like this when you have something delicious to eat?"

Xiaojuan sniffed and said, "It's nothing. I just feel bad for seeing how hard my fellow villagers are suffering."

Wang Jiayuan knew it definitely wasn't because of this. She wanted to ask again, but Qingmei interrupted her: "Let's go quickly, or we might run out of space later."

Wang Jiayuan said, "Yes, hurry up, I have to go over and help. My sisters-in-law have been hungry for a long time, and they eat like hungry wolves."

Qingmei couldn't help laughing, and Xiaojuan also burst out laughing.

They went downstairs, and Mrs. Liang brought the little boy upstairs, and the two were still talking.

She was very wary of Qingmei and turned the boy's face away so he wouldn't look at her. She always thought Qingmei would kidnap the boy.

After going downstairs, Wang Jiayuan looked back and saw the little boy turn his head to look behind them. His sight flashed by, and Wang Jiayuan shrank his shoulders and felt a chill.

They went to the cafeteria to eat first, and a little later, Mrs. Liang came over with the little boy. The boy was silent, so she gave him a nickname, Xiao Wu, because she had found him at five in the morning, and she chose a homophone for him.

There were three tables in the cafeteria. Aunt Qin asked Qingmei to eat next to her and also picked up a lot of fish for Qingmei to eat.

Qingmei likes to eat fish. The chef in the cafeteria is very good at cooking. The fish meat is tender and not tough. The fish head is stewed with tofu, and the fish soup is just right for mixing with rice.

Sitting opposite Qingmei was Mrs. Liang. She treated Xiaowu like her own son and picked fish and meat for him to eat bit by bit.

Aunt Qin even praised her for her loving heart in public.

Sister Liang looked at Qingmei proudly and asked Aunt Qin: "I can't find the child's parents for a while, so let me take care of him first."

Aunt Qin naturally agreed.

After dinner, someone came to question Xiao Wu. Wanting to know where he had run away from, Xiao Wu timidly hugged Mrs. Liang's thigh, opened his hands and stretched out his palms to gesture.

"Bird? Chicken?" The family members who had finished their meal did not rush back and were also guessing.

Suddenly, Mrs. Liang said, "Could it be an eagle?"

Xiao Wu pulled her hand and nodded vigorously.

The person who came to question was a young soldier. He slapped his forehead and said, "Eagle? That must be someone who came back to the village with Eagle. We haven't been able to contact them. It seems there's something wrong. I have to go over and report it quickly."

Mrs. Liang looked a little disappointed, but she still reached out and patted Xiao Wu on the head. She took his hand and said, "If you can save the villagers this time, you'll have done a great deed. Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative. I'll buy you some candy."

"Luckily he still remembers where home is."

Aunt Qin saw this and nodded, saying, "I can't believe how caring Comrade Liang is. Usually, children like this are left to the care of female soldiers, but she doesn't mind the trouble and is willing to take care of them herself."

Mrs. Liang glanced at Qingmei with a smile, then pulled Xiaowu and pointed at the uneaten steamed bun on the table and said, "You guys don't want to eat anymore? Then I'll take it to the child so he won't be hungry at night."

Naturally, no one said anything. Qingmei didn't say anything either, but just looked at Xiaowu silently.

After returning home, Qingmei felt more and more that something was wrong.

She lay in bed to rest, and kept recalling the details in the book in her mind. She had no impression of such a child suddenly going missing.

She kept recalling the details of this period, but because it was close to the time of reform and opening up, the author only touched upon many things and did not elaborate.

She suddenly sat up in bed, remembering a plot in the book: in the winter of 1977, the 014th Unit fell into a trap set by enemy spies, and seventeen soldiers were killed in the explosion. Another seventy-three fellow villagers lost their lives under the snow because rescue came too late.

At that time, the male protagonist Gu Qingzhou was carrying out other tasks. After returning, he was extremely sad and attended the memorial service.

After putting on her shoes, Qingmei opened the curtains. It was pitch black outside. Gu Qingzhou hadn't returned yet.

After thinking it over, she still felt that there was something wrong with Xiao Wu. She took the military coat from the hanger and put it on, opened the door and went outside to look for Gu Qingzhou.

"...Hmm?" Gu Qingzhou opened the door and his wife bumped into him. He felt a chill run down his spine and slightly distanced himself from her.

When Qingmei opened the door, she was unexpectedly bumped into a hard embrace. She raised her head stupidly, and her open little mouth was gently pecked. Then she was half-hugged and returned to the house.

"I was just about to look for you." Qingmei glanced at the left wall and pulled Gu Qingzhou to the other end of the room. Although it was only a few steps away, she said in a low voice, "There's a problem."

Gu Qingzhou followed her gaze towards the wall, and instantly understood that she was talking about the people in the next room. He asked in confusion, "What happened?"

Qingmei simply turned on the desk lamp, took out paper and pen from the desk drawer and wrote down to him the story she remembered.

Gu Qingzhou frowned, thinking about how he had already sent people to Yinghui Village for rescue during the day. Why did his wife still say that the rescue was not timely?

If it were an existing plot in the book, it would definitely explode and be buried.

Gu Qingzhou paced back and forth twice, suddenly looked up and pointed to the next door, then crossed his hands.

Qingmei didn't quite understand, and before she could react, Gu Qingzhou had already rushed out of the house. He didn't even knock on the door next door, but kicked it open!

There was a loud bang, startling Mrs. Liang who was sleeping in bed. The room was dark. Gu Qingzhou turned on the light and saw "Xiao Wu" who had not had time to leave yet, lying on the wall, eavesdropping on his conversation with Qing Mei.

The expression on his face hadn't yet subsided, and the sinister look was clearly revealed under the light. This wasn't the expression of a child, but rather the expression of an adult.

"Who? What are you doing?" Mrs. Liang grabbed the clothes on the quilt. Before she could ask a second question, she was stunned by the scene in front of her.

Gu Qingzhou's arrival caught "Xiao Wu" off guard. He was stunned for three or four seconds and was in a stalemate a few steps away from Gu Qingzhou.

Seeing Gu Qingzhou's determination not to let him escape, "Xiao Wu" growled and knew that the plan was exposed. He wanted to rush to the window and escape through it, but was kicked down by Gu Qingzhou.

Click.

With a crisp sound, Gu Qingzhou lowered his knees to his back and reached out to remove his jaw.

Qingmei stood at the door, followed by officials who had rushed over after hearing the noise, and then by several family members.

Mrs. Liang saw Gu Qingzhou remove Xiao Wu's jaw. She wanted to step forward to stop him but didn't dare. Seeing someone approaching the door, she shouted, "Save the child! It's okay that the couple doesn't like children, but they broke into the house in the middle of the night and wanted to kill the child!"

Gu Qingzhou didn't need to speak. Later, Deputy Company Commander Shen, Wang Jiayuan's husband, came in and pointed at her nose and said, "If you don't understand the situation, shut up!"

Deputy Company Leader Shen had carried out several missions and had also fought against enemy spies. Gu Qingzhou's action made him realize in an instant that they were not facing children, but enemy spies.

Deputy Lieutenant Shen was just temporarily unable to tell whether the child was brainwashed by the enemy agents or the enemy agents were disguised as children.

You know, there have been instances of soldiers being attacked by young children while on duty. Some enemies have even gone so far as to send children strapped to explosive packs to actively seek out soldiers.

Deputy Lieutenant Shen's roar made everyone inside and outside the house quiet down.

Mrs. Liang was completely dumbfounded.

Not only her, but the other family members in the corridor were also stunned. What could such a tiny child do?

Gu Qingzhou grabbed "Xiao Wu" by the back of the neck and lifted him up. Wu Shizhong ran over, tied him up with a hemp rope, and then searched him.

"Xiao Wu" had nothing on his body, and tears as big as beans fell down, making him look extremely pitiful.

Gu Qingzhou looked down at him, pinching his jaw with his thumb and index finger, and looking at his teeth.

He had a mouth full of neat, adult teeth, and his back molars had already grown in, with a raised spot covered with plaster. This was a common technique used by enemy spies. After being discovered, they would bite through the plaster, and the tetrodotoxin inside would make him lose consciousness instantly and suffocate to death.

If Gu Qingzhou had not reacted quickly and removed his jaw immediately, "Xiao Wu" would have committed suicide by taking poison.

If he had the chance to contact the senior officers of 014 and use poison, it would be an invisible killing.

“Who…” Xiao Wu uttered a vague and mature voice from his throat. Like a mature man, he had a rough voice: “Who exposed me! Who…who!!”

"Who, who is talking?" Mrs. Liang sat down on the ground, trembling all over and covering her ears: "No, no, he is just a child!"

Xiaojuan hugged herself and shivered with cold, saying, "Oh my God, that's a dwarf. People like that really exist."

Many family members were crowded behind her, all of them leaning their heads to look inside, each of them stunned with fear.

These days, people rarely travel between regions, and if there are such people in the family, they rarely come out to see others. People hear more about them than see them.

Qingmei lowered her voice and said, "Yes, he is a dwarf."

Gu Qingzhou ordered Wu Shizhong and Shen Hongxing to bring "Xiao Wu" back for interrogation, and he came out from the door. Qingmei chased after him and said, "Eagle returns to the village——"

Gu Qingzhou's face darkened greatly. He said coldly, "It's not Yinghui Village. There's a Wangjia Village in the opposite direction of Yinghui Village. He wants to cover up the facts, so I must dig out the truth."

Qingmei suddenly realized, no wonder Gu Qingzhou had just made the cross gesture.

He has discovered that the false information provided by "Xiao Wu" is intended to lure the tiger away from the mountain and delay the rescue of Wangjia Village.

This also explains why accidents still happen when 014 is constantly rescuing surrounding villages, because enemy spies have infiltrated and provided false information.

Qingmei shuddered, not daring to imagine what would happen if she softened her heart and brought "Xiao Wu" to her. The mere thought gave her the chills.

Xiao Juan hugged her arms and felt even colder. After a long while, she said, "No wonder Xiao Wu kept following you. He wanted to lurk around Captain Gu."

The other sisters-in-law also suddenly realized that the highest-ranking military officer they could have contacted at the time was naturally Qingmei's husband, Gu Qingzhou. "Xiaowu"'s repeated overtures towards Qingmei clearly had ulterior motives.

Fortunately, Qingmei did not agree.

If she agreed, it would be fine if she and Captain Gu noticed it, but if they didn't, the consequences would be disastrous. Important military intelligence might be intercepted by "Xiao Wu", and Gu Qingzhou and Qingmei would be in danger at any time.

Sister Liang had just gotten up from the ground when she heard this. She felt as if her blood was freezing. How could she be so foolish? The thing that Qingmei avoided was actually invited to her side like a treasure.

After only five or six minutes, Wu Shizhong turned around and said to Mrs. Liang, "You go over there too."

Mrs. Liang was terrified, her face pale, and her legs trembling. "I don't know anything. I'm the victim. I didn't even talk to him."

Wu Shizhong said calmly, "Whether they spoke or not, we will naturally know. Anyone who has had secret dealings with enemy spies must be investigated. This is the rule."

Mrs. Liang couldn't bear to think about what would happen when her husband returned from his mission and learned about the trouble she had caused at home. She had let the wolf into the house, and the image she had always cultivated as a good wife and mother collapsed.

"I, I was also deceived."

She had no choice but to follow Wu Shizhong down the stairs, looking back every three steps. As she went down the stairs, her legs were so weak that she almost knelt on the steps.

After she left, the family members in the corridor were no longer sleepy.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Gu Qingzhou was gone for another three or four days without any further news. They were told not to tell anyone about what happened that night.

Mrs. Liang didn't come back either, and the family members who were cooking in the corridor talked less to each other.

The word "enemy spy" made everyone silent.

A few days later, Gu Qingzhou suddenly returned. His jeep was parked downstairs, and he and Bao Mi went to the city to pick up Qingmei's new cotton-padded jacket.

Qingmei was teaching Wang Jiayuan how to make stewed rice in the corridor. When she saw him going upstairs, she hung a pack of dim sum on the base of her injured little finger, still unconvinced.

Qingmei quickly took the snacks, opened the half-closed door, put down the snacks, and then took the shoe box from Bao Mi's hand.

Gu Qingzhou had interrogated many people these days, and the murderous aura on his body had not yet subsided. He sat in a chair with a stern look, squinting his eyes as he watched Qingmei standing in front of him, smiling sweetly, like a wolf patrolling his territory.

Qingmei said, "Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

His Adam's apple rolled, and he said tiredly, "Okay."

Bao Mi sat on a small stool. He hadn't eaten anything for a whole day and night. He covered his stomach and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm so hungry."

Qingmei said immediately, "I know. I'll make it for you right away. I'll fry some steamed buns for you from the leftover steamed buns from this morning."

Bao Mi saw some peanuts roasting on the stove in the room, so he dragged his small stool over and peeled a few, handing them to the leader. The leader didn't eat any, so he started eating with a grunt.

The stove outside was blazing, so Qingmei borrowed some fire from Wang Jiayuan. She cut the steamed buns and put a few drops of peanut oil in the wok. She sprinkled sugar on the buns, fried them until golden brown, and then dipped them in sesame paste.

It would have been even better if we had eggs, but they were all gone, and there were no eggs for sale these days. The supply and marketing cooperative couldn't get any, so the villagers were saving them for the New Year.

She fried four steamed buns in one go, and then borrowed hot water from Wang Jiayuan to make two cups of milk for them.

"You guys eat first, I'll fry the stewed bun." She had just made it, and it froze quickly due to the cold weather. She made a whole translucent cube of sweet potato starch, which she placed on the chopping board and cut into pieces the size of mahjong tiles.

Wang Jiayuan was still showing off her freshly fried braised pork, not wanting to eat it, so she came over to watch Qingmei make her own. It was the same braised pork, but why did she feel that Qingmei's bowl was a hundred times more fragrant than hers?

The stewed buns fried with green plums have a golden crust, are crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, sprinkled with sesame seeds and sesame paste, and served with coriander, chopped green onions, minced garlic and crushed peanuts. They are extremely fragrant when eaten.

Qingmei brought the stewed meat in, and Wang Jiayuan sprinkled some of her remaining seasoning into her own bowl. She didn't like garlic, but when she tasted the slight garlic flavor, she frowned, then smacked her lips. "Oh, it's so delicious!"

Her boyfriend was from Haicheng, so Wang Jiayuan had just learned how to make the local stew from Qingmei. Wang Jiayuan carefully brought the bowl back into the house, waiting to surprise her boyfriend.

When Qingmei entered the room, the two people inside had already cleared out the steamed bread slices on the plate. Gu Qingzhou had finished the milk in front of him, leaving an empty cup beside him.

Qingmei was always curious about why he could eat so fast despite his polite manner.

Bao Mi was used to eating cold steamed buns, but he was surprised to find his sister-in-law's homemade steamed buns, which she even generously added with sugar and sesame paste. The delicious taste was overwhelming. Seeing Qingmei come in, he quickly put down the teacup and walked to the table with two bowls of steamed buns.

Gu Qingzhou was in no hurry to eat, and pushed the bowl to Qingmei: "You eat."

Qingmei smiled and said, "There's more in the pot, you can eat yours."

Gu Qingzhou then took the bowl back and ate the stewed rice politely.

Bao Mi had been to Haicheng before and told Gu Qingzhou, "Commander, my sister-in-law's stew is really authentic. If you put some shrimp and squid in it, it would taste just like the ones sold at the People's Hotel. No, it would taste even better than the ones sold at the People's Hotel."

Gu Qingzhou said with satisfaction: "Eat yours, stop talking nonsense."

"Oh." Bao Mi's eating manners were not as refined as his chief. He gulped down half a bowl of food.

Qingmei came in and looked at him pitifully, then poured half a bowl into his bowl.

After finishing his meal, Bao Mi wiped his mouth and went back to rest.

Gu Qingzhou came back from taking a shower, his hair was wet as if he hadn't wiped it.

Qingmei pulled him to sit on a chair and wiped his hair. Gu Qingzhou suddenly said, "Why don't you ask how that matter went?"

Qingmei said: "You will tell me what you can tell me, and I won't ask what you can't tell me."

Gu Qingzhou pulled her back and let Qingmei sit on his lap. He hugged his little wife and said, "Why are you so sensible?"

Qingmei leaned obediently in his arms and said, "I didn't expect this kind of thing to be so close to me."

Gu Qingzhou knew that his wife was frightened. He hugged her tightly and said, "There is an enemy spy station in Wangjia Village. The dwarf is stalling for time to ensure his companions' retreat."

Qingmei grabbed Gu Qingzhou's clothes and whispered, "What about the fellow villagers who were buried? And the explosives that Ying Hui sent back to the village?"

Gu Qingzhou put his chin on her head, patted her on the back and said, "Everything has been handled. There are no casualties."

Qingmei sighed, hugged Gu Qingzhou's neck and rubbed it against his neck. This small action pleased Gu Qingzhou, and he pinched Qingmei's chin and kissed her deeply.

His young wife's lips were fragrant and soft, and after opening them, he was reluctant to leave.

After the kiss, he habitually wiped the corner of her lips. The soft touch made his fingers press on her lips.

Qingmei pulled his hand down and said, "Why do you still look worried?"

Gu Qingzhou lowered his head and said with a half-smile, "Someone wants to snatch me away."

Qingmei asked doubtfully, "Who? Who are you trying to rob?"

Gu Qingzhou stretched out his finger and gently tapped Qingmei's small nose and said, "How did I find such a treasure like you?"